David O. Selznick began his film career working for his father's production companies. In 1926 he joined MGM as a reader and quickly rose to assistant producer. Two years later, Selznick left MGM to become executive assistant at Paramount. In 1931 he moved to RKO as vice president in charge of production. He returned to MGM in 1933 and there produced such films as Dinner at Eight (1933), David Copperfield (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), and A Tale of Two Cities (1935).
Selznick, in partnership with John Hay ("Jock") Whitney, formed his first independent film production company, Selznick International Pictures (SIP), in 1935. Movies produced under the SIP aegis include A Star Is Born (1937), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Nothing Sacred (1937), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), and Gone With the Wind (1939). Selznick was responsible for bringing the Swedish actress, Ingrid Bergman, and the British director, Alfred Hitchcock, to Hollywood. Hitchcock directed Rebecca (1940), Spellbound (1945), and Notorious (1946) while under contract to Selznick.
Selznick began liquidation of Selznick International Pictures in 1940 for tax reasons, but reorganized and continued producing films as an independent. He also supported his enterprise by selling developed projects and loaning out his contract stars to other studios. In 1946, Selznick created his own distribution company, Selznick Releasing Organization (SRO). He entered into European coproduction beginning with The Third Man (1950), and he produced a live television special celebrating the 60th anniversary of electricity, Light's Diamond Jubilee, in 1954. A Farewell to Arms (1957) marked the last film Selznick personally produced, though he continued to keep an active interest in the film business until his death in 1965.
David O. Selznick was the son of pioneer film producer Lewis J. Selznick and the brother of Hollywood talent agent Myron Selznick. He married Irene Gladys Mayer, the daughter of MGM head Louis B. Mayer, in 1930. In 1949, after his first marriage had ended in divorce, Selznick married Jennifer Jones, an actress who starred in several of his productions including Duel in the Sun (1946) and Portrait of Jennie (1948). Selznick had two sons by his first marriage, Lewis Jeffrey (1932- ) and Daniel Mayer (1936- ), and one daughter by his second marriage, Mary Jennifer (1954-1976).
Sources:
Behlmer, Rudy, ed. Memo from David O. Selznick. New York: The Viking Press, 1972.
Haver, Ronald. David O. Selznick's Hollywood. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.
Leff, Leonard J. Hitchcock and Selznick. New York: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1987.
Schatz, Thomas. The Genius of the System. New York: Pantheon Books, 1988.
Selznick, Irene Mayer. A Private View. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983.
Thomas, Bob. Selznick. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1970.
Thomson, David. Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Appendices in this finding aid with further information:
A. Selznick Companies and Personnel List
B. The Films of David O. Selznick, 1924-1957, Chronological List
C. The Films of David O. Selznick, 1924-1957, Alphabetical List
D. The Films of David O. Selznick, 1924-1957, Film Credits List
| David O. Selznick Collection Finding Aid | |||||||||
| Title Page | Biographical Sketch | Scope and Contents | Organization and Access | Series Outline | Series Descriptions | Companies and Personnel List | Films Chronological List | Films Alphabetical List | Films Credits List |
Reference queries to: reference@hrc.utexas.edu
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